Baccalaureate Study in Biology - Goals and Outcomes Assessment
The B.A. and B.S. degree programs in biology are designed to provide each student with a broad understanding of modern biology. Emphasis is placed on the cellular and molecular levels of study, which are critical to understanding current basic research, and its application to medicine, pharmaceutical development, agriculture, and environmental science. Thus, the core curriculum beyond the introductory level provides offerings in genetics, cell biology, microbiology, physiology, and biochemistry, supplemented with a variety of elective choices. To assure that their undergraduate training includes exposure to an advanced level of biological fact and practice, all majors must select at least one 500-numbered, or graduate-level, elective course. All students complete four semesters of chemistry, and two of physics and calculus, to provide them the essential breadth of scientific knowledge that is needed to function as a biologist.
Both the lecture and laboratory components of core courses foster critical thinking through a thorough grounding in experimental design and the application of a variety of research methods. The freshman-level laboratory course, for example, provides students with the opportunity to transfer jellyfish DNA into bacteria, and then to characterize the protein produced from the jelly fish gene. Writing assignments, based on laboratory results, become more sophisticated as students progress through the program. The required laboratory instruction is supplemented with elective choices that allow students to conduct independent research projects under faculty supervision, and with opportunities to participate as volunteers in faculty laboratories. Biology majors are quite well prepared to take advantage of a variety of paid internships offered by the National Institutes of Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and other government agencies.
Biology graduates possess the necessary training to begin careers in a variety of fields that include work in industrial, government, and academic research laboratories, government agencies, areas of health care, and in a variety of business or nonprofit organizations. Their training also readies them ably for graduate-level study in biological and related sciences, medical school, physical therapy, dentistry, and forensics. Additionally, the combination of science and liberal arts instruction that characterizes the biology curriculum provides solid preparation for those seeking to apply their scientific background to areas of study as diverse as business, journalism, or law.
In the senior year, each Biology major must successfully complete two assessment criteria to qualify for graduation. These criteria consist of: (1) completion of BIOL 452, the Coordinating Seminar, with a minimum grade of C-, and; (2) completion of the Biology Senior Comprehensive Examination with a grade of Pass or High Pass. Both of these requirements involve the demonstration by students that they have mastered the ability to seek out, and assess, information pertinent to an important area of biological research, and to synthesize from that information a coherent and meaningful written or oral presentation. Additional details are described below.
(1) BIOL 452, the Coordinating Seminar, involves two oral presentations that are delivered to the other seniors, the faculty member who coordinates the seminar, and a faculty advisor. The first of these presentation topics is, subject to faculty approval, chosen by the student. The second presentation is based on the topic assigned to each student for the Senior Comprehensive Examination, described below. Students are graded on their organization of data and the quality of presentation, as well as their meaningful participation in the discussion of all the topics presented.
(2) Senior Comprehensive Examination topics are selected each year by the faculty, and are assigned to individual students by random selection, early in the fall of the senior year. Each student is assigned a faculty advisor with expertise in the area of a given topic. That advisor provides advice and guidance, and evaluates progress at specified intervals throughout the process. The final written presentations are evaluated for thoroughness, logical development and evaluation of data, and the quality of the written presentation.
These two assessment criteria were selected to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery in handling scientific ideas and information, as opposed to the more straightforward process of giving a written examination based upon factual recall of information from the core curriculum. Whether the completion of Coordinating Seminar and the Comprehensive Examination are best considered an act of completion, or a demonstration of readiness for the next step in knowledge and training, depends upon the goals of the individual student. We judge them, however, to be an effective gauge of scientific competency.
